Chapter 14: Pulled Records

At ten o'clock Thursday morning, I sat in Renee's glass office with my laptop open and Renee's hand on my shoulder.

On the screen were two squares.

One was Corvane's head of human resources in New York.

The other was the company president, who had flown in from Chicago.

"Ms. MacIntyre," the HR woman said, "Mr. VanDorn has alleged that you copied confidential director files on the night of November twenty-sixth."

"Which files?"

"His expense reports. Two years of them."

"Did he say where I was when I copied them?"

"He did not."

"What time on the twenty-sixth?"

"11:52 p.m."

"Then I was in an ER bed with a hundred-and-two fever and an IV in my arm," I said. "I can send you the discharge papers."

Renee coughed to cover a laugh.

"We've already run the access log," the HR woman said, and her voice cooled. "The files were opened with Mr. VanDorn's own credentials."

"From where?"

"From his laptop, on his home network."

"His own login," I said.

"His own login."

The president leaned toward his camera.

"He tried to frame an employee for opening his files with his own password."

"It appears so," said the HR woman.

"Why would he do that?"

Renee tapped her desk once.

"Because those expense reports show something he didn't want a compliance analyst to read. My guess is she was about to."

I looked at her.

"I haven't looked at anything of his."

"I know, honey. But he doesn't."

The door opened.

Kendall came in, still in her pink coat, with a folder pressed against her chest.

She hadn't done her makeup.

She sat down next to me without a word and opened the folder on the table.

"I'm here for the statement," she said to the screen. "I'd like it on the record that I'm not asking for anything."

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